"Our thoughts are important because our thoughts become words, our words become actions, our actions become habits and our habits create a destiny . . . we become what we repeatedly do." - - - Pastor Craig Groeschel
Does the quote ring any bells? As we go through our daily routines, we may not be very mindful about what we do in a particular day. However, if we accumulate all the small actions, they are indeed defining our destiny and who we are. If you are following my blog, you may recall that I have been writing about new year resolutions and seeking one word from God as the focus of the year. What happen after you have your one word? How should you plan the year to stay focus on the one word you receive from the Lord? If you have those questions in mind, this blog is for you.
A few weeks ago I came across a leadership talk by Pastor Bill Hybels regarding a habit he calls "6x6." One time, Bill was concluding his trip from a leadership training in Europe and was flying back to Chicago. As the plane came closer to Chicago, he started feeling overwhelmed when he thought of how much work was waiting for him in the weeks ahead with Christmas approaching. So he cried out to God asking, "God, in the remaining six calendar weeks, what would be the biggest half doze contributions I can make to the organization." And he started dropping down a list of six things. The exercise brought him tremendous energy, clarity and focus, and the list helped him disregard the second-tier activities. Because this practice was so powerful, Bill ended up setting up another rounds of 6x6 and then another round . . .
Bill's talk came in such a great timing when I was pondering upon what I can do this year relating to the one word I received: LISTEN. I decided to give that a try. Here is how it looks like if you are interested.
- I pulled out my 2018 calendar and looked at the school breaks that my kids would have and planned the rounds of 6x6 factoring in their breaks.
- Then I mapped out how many rounds of 6x6 I can realistically put in one year, with the kids school breaks in between as my pausing and evaluating periods. I mapped out a total of 7 rounds.
- Next I created a google doc and started formulating my 6 items. I split into two sets, with 3 personal and 3 work-related items.
- Finally, I invited a coworker to be my accountability partner, someone who is also inspired by Bill's talk and is motivated to give the 6x6 a try. And we send each other updates at the end of each week.
As you open up your calendar, what do you see? How do you feel? Do you get stressed out because there are always more on the plate than you can fit into your schedule? Is your "important but not urgent" stuff constantly being pushed aside? If so, give this practice a try. Let me end with sharing two pictures with you.
This is the sketches of my 6x6. Hoping to fit 7 rounds this year with pausing moments in between each.
Because my word for the year is LISTEN, one of the items on my 6x6 is a weekly lunch date with my husband, so I can carve out the unhurried moments to give him my full attention. This is our week 2 dating luncheon restaurant. It was on a rainy day and I had to drive half hour to and half hour back in order to make that happen. If we are not intentional, I know it just won't happen, at least not on a rainy day with one hour round trip drive. But when we firmly put it down on our calendar, it will.
If you are interested, here is the clip by Bill Hybels 6x6
Remember, intentional living does not happen spontaneously, it always requires planning, discipline and determination. May your 2018 be blessed as a year full of energy and focus.